SOLAR ECLIPSE WATCHERS CAN FLY BY PRIVATE JET FOR £400 LESS THAN AN AIRLINE SEAT
While a partial solar eclipse will be visible across Northern Europe next Friday (20th March), a total eclipse will be visible only from remote areas of the Northern Atlantic, including Denmark’s The Faroe Islands and Norway’s Svalbard island. And some travelling to witness this rare phenomenon – the last total eclipse in Europe for over a decade – have found that private jet travel is more cost-effective than airline tickets.
PrivateFly has produced a comparison between airline and private jet travel for reaching the viewing points for the total eclipse. The comparison by the private jet booking service shows that over 15 hours of travel time can be saved by chartering a direct private aircraft, and - in some cases - the cost would be almost £400 less per head, for a group travelling together.
Manchester (MAN) - Vagar Faroe Islands (FAE), overnight return 19/20 March.
| AIRLINE | PRIVATE JET |
Itinerary | 10.20am departure with 2 stops required (Copenhagen& Bergen). 11.00 return with one stop at Copenhagen. | Flexible flight times; direct flights outbound &return. |
Totalflight time | 18 hours 10 minutes | 3 hours |
Cost | £2,129 per person | £1,730 per person (total aircraft charter £10,400 for a 6-seater Citation CJ2) |
Comparison | Private jet saves 15 hours & costs £399 less per person | |
An overnight return from London Heathrow to Vagar on 19/20 March would also require two stops outbound, and take almost 14 hours for the return journey - at a cost of £1,263 per person. The direct flight time by private jet would be around 2 hours each way, with the total aircraft cost £10,700 for a 6-seater Citation CJ2 or £7,800 for a 4-seater Citation Mustang.
Flights from London or Manchester to Svalbard’s Longyearbyen airport are also indirect, taking over 6 hours outbound with a stop in Oslo, and two stops on the return journey, involving over 20 hours of airport waiting time.
Carol Cork, marketing director of PrivateFly commented: “Airline routes from the UK to the Faroe Islands or Svalbard are long, indirect and relatively expensive, so we have seen a significant demand for private jet travel – which offers a fast and direct alternative.
“A total eclipse is a rare and spectacular event and we are flying a number of clients into both locations to witness it – including scientists, media crews and leisure travellers – many of whom wouldn’t normally travel by private jet. Some are choosing to travel there and back just for the day, others staying for longer.
“This is a great opportunity to showcase the time-saving and efficiency benefits of private jet travel, which allows flexible and direct itineraries, and opens up remote locations. In some cases, it can cost less than airline prices too.”
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Notes to editors
Airline flight costs taken from Skyscanner, using best available options as at 10th March 2015.